Terry Frost is the latest full-time police officer to join the ranks of the Wadena Police Department. A former Marine, Frost is a veteran of both Gulf Wars with a total of 14 years of military service. He is also a member of the U.S. Army National Guard, where he is part of a sniper section. Frost found out about the Wadena job opening last year while he was stationed in Kuwait, assisting with the withdrawal of troops from Iraq as part of Operation New Dawn.

For the past two and a half years, a German Shepherd named Zeus has assisted the Wadena County Sheriff's Office with drug detection, tracking and criminal apprehension. Sheriff Mike Carr said Zeus graduated near the head of his class, calling him "one of the top dogs at that school as far as I'm concerned." Carr recalled a case where Zeus tracked a fleeing suspect near Menahga through more than a mile of woods, abandoning the chase only when the criminal got into a car and drove off. Zeus is much like his namesake. His rippling muscles are easily visible beneath his thick winter fur.

Friendly Rider Transit Manager George Behl said Tuesday that his bus service saw an increase of approximately 3,500 rides in 2012 from the previous year. Behl added that the jump was actually part of a steady pattern of increases; an average of 10 percent each year since the first full year of operation in 2004.

New Wadena City Council Members Gillette Kempf and Brian Hillesland got a firsthand look Jan. 18 at the city they now help govern. On a day-long tour organized by City Administrator Brad Swenson, Kempf and Hillesland accompanied other members of the city council as they examined each of the city-run facilities in Wadena. Swenson said it was the first such tour during his time as city administrator. "I thought it just might be a good educational tour to get started off," Swenson said. "A lot of times we talk about different buildings and facilities ...

5 Years Ago Excerpts from the Jan. 17, 2008 Pioneer Journal  Meth use drops off in Wadena County Wadena County Sheriff Mike Carr said the use of methamphetamine in the county has dropped dramatically. "We've seen a big dip," he said. "Is it still here? Absolutely. But we're just not seeing it as much." Carr said the decline isn't just in Wadena County. "It's not just us," he said. "It's nationwide."  Archery club celebrates 40 years The members of Mit-Ti-Quab archery club have aimed, released and hit their target in Wadena for four decades.

Wadena Mayor Wayne Wolden readily admits the county is one of the least healthy in the state. The new wellness center may work to fix that gap, but Wolden worries about a specific segment of the local population who won't get to take advantage of the new place to stay fit. Wolden is concerned about children from lower-income families who may not necessarily be able to afford memberships to the new facility. In order to get a head start on the situation, Wolden and other organizers behind the wellness center have been looking for funding to help provide memberships for local kids. On Dec.

Ducks and geese take refuge in open water on Union Creek Thursday. A local resident said the geese pictured here are those wounded during the hunting season and unable to complete the journey south. Their healthy mates stay with them, even through the bitter cold. Photo by Zach Kayser

The Todd County Sheriff's department and Indiana State Police (ISP) announced last week that a 19-year-old abduction case from Indiana had just been broken in rural Browerville. Taken as a small boy, Richard Landers was found as an adult living under the name Michael Jeff Landers. Richard Wayne Landers, Jr. was believed to have been abducted by his grandparents in 1994, when he was 5 years old, according to a press release from the Todd County Sheriff's Office. "The grandparents, Richard E. Landers and Ruth A.

As of Tuesday, three people had been hospitalized at Tri-County Health Care (TCHC) with influenza so far this flu season, said Kathy Kleen, TCHC's chief nursing officer. Kleen also said the past week saw approximately 100 people seeking care for influenza-like symptoms at the hospital and its branch locations, with activity increasing as last week went on, but leveling off during Monday and Tuesday.